In order to succeed on Wall Street, one must be intelligent and dedicated. Jory Berkwits spent forty years there before he became an author. He applied his characteristic brilliance and work ethic to create his book, Death of the Dinosaur, that won First Place for Published Informational in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Jory discusses his transition to writing, his insider view, and writing tips on this week’s RPLA showcase.
Jory’s Writing Journey
I thought I would be a college professor and entered a Ph.D. program in American History. Marriage, family, and financial reality combined to alter that plan, and in short order I was on Wall Street. And I stayed there for forty years. Retirement gave me an opportunity to become involved in different activities I never made time for when I was working, and writing was one of them—and it was by far the most fulfilling.
The Winning Entry, Death of the Dinosaur 
Logline: How Wall Street has changed and where it is headed—a retrospective drawn from a lifetime of first hand experiences.
I spent my entire career on Wall Street; I loved what I did and was proud of the way I did it. In 2009, just after Bernie Madoff surrendered to authorities, a friend I had known for many years remarked, “What is it with you guys?” You guys? As if Bernie and I were a tag team? Until that moment I never truly realized how low Wall Street had fallen in the public’s consciousness. So I set out tell the story of what happened, as seen through the eyes of others as well as my own, and to offer a few observations as to what went wrong (and what Wall Street needs to do to restore trust with investors.) Taking on this project was a labor of love.
Read an excerpt of Death of the Dinosaur here.
Two Truths and a Lie, Writer’s Edition
The truths, at least for me, are: a) draw up a “blueprint” (outline) in advance b) establish a daily schedule for writing and c) set milestones and deadlines. The lie? Don’t read your draft over and over and over—share pieces of it with others and get some feedback first.
Other Works by Jory
My Bittersweet Homecoming was my first book. It’s about the city of Allentown PA, immortalized in song about thirty years ago by Billy Joel. I grew up there in the 1960s. When I returned on a chance visit some forty years later, it was almost unrecognizable. I had always romanticized my childhood, and I found that the changes that had taken place to be profoundly disturbing. The book is about what happened, and why and how—and whether any of it was avoidable.
Coming Next from this Author
Not sure. More than likely something to do with ethics and morality. A thousand years ago the goals of most people on the planet were simply survival and salvation. Technological advances and widespread affluence have brought significant changes and inestimable benefits on many levels…but at a cost.
Learn More…
Visit my website www.berkwits.com.
More about RPLA
The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants. Judges include literary agents, publishers, film producers, current or retired professors, teachers, librarians, editors, bestselling and award-winning authors, and journalists from across the nation. Entries are scored against the criteria set by RPLA using rubrics tailored to each genre. Winners are announced at the annual FWA conference during the RPLA awards banquet. To learn more about RPLA, click here for the guidelines.
